Pearl of Freedom

Emily Davison

2018 is the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, in which women first gained the right to vote. In celebration of this, Royal Holloway, University of London has commissioned a new work from Joanna Marsh, Pearl of Freedom, to be premiered by the choir and orchestra of Royal Holloway and the London Mozart Players at St John's Smith Square on Wednesday 31 January 2018. Conducted by Rebecca Miller, the members of the orchestra of Royal Holloway will be playing side by side with members of the London Mozart Players.


Pearl of Freedom is a choral re-telling of the story of Emily Davison who died as a result of being trampled by the King's horse at the Derby in 1913 (a recent re-examination of the newsreel footage of the event suggests that Davison did not intend to kill herself but was trying to attach a scarf to the horse), protesting at the treatment of Suffragettes. David Pountney's libretto combines extracts of diaries, news reports and anecdotes to recount the events leading up to the Epsom Derby on 1913, the collision itself, and the aftermath.

The concert is completed with RVW's Serenade to Music and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Full details from the St John's Smith Square website.